Be careful and keep safe

This might not be the most exciting point, but it is the most important. You can’t have a good time if you aren’t safe so make sure you don’t take any extra risks and try to use your common sense to avoid getting scammed! Comprehensive travel insurance is a must – it’s better to have it and not need it than find yourself without at a time when you need support.

Say yes

As long as this doesn’t contradict the first point try and say yes to as much as you can. Whether that’s food you’ve never tried, doing something you’ve always been a bit too nervous to do, or talking to someone you’ve never met, say yes to things and challenge yourself. Even if you don’t enjoy the food or the experience, you can be proud of yourself for trying something different and everything you do is another memory to hold or story to recall.

Spend on experiences, not items

It’s great to get souvenirs from your travels, but memories and experiences are much more important. You can buy a Prada handbag from anywhere but something handmade by an African tribe, or the memory of seeing a lion running past your tent is worth so much more. Focus on being in the moment and the things that are worth more than possessions. When you get home, people will love to hear your stories and see your photographs far more than seeing the pair of shoes you bought that could as easily been from the local shops.

Be open

Whether you plan for it to or not, traveling will teach you a lot of things – both about yourself and others! The more open your mind is, the more you will learn and take back with you. Be open with different cultures and the people you meet, and watch yourself grow in ways you may never have imagined. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to take on or agree with everything you experience, but having open and honest dialogues about these things will really enhance your understanding.

So these are my tips, and hopefully, they can help you too! Let me know in the comments below if you have any other tips!